Scientists have discovered that Southeast Asia's endangered fruit bats -- commonly known as flying foxes -- play an important part in the pollination of the iconic and economically important durian tree.
Using camera traps, researchers collected video evidence showing the island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) pollinating durian flowers, leading to the production of healthy durian fruit. Their study -- Pollination by the locally endangered island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) enhances fruit production of the economically important durian (Durio zibethinus) -- has been published in the Journal of Ecology and Evolution.
The video footage was captured on Tioman Island by a team led by Dr Sheema Abdul Aziz as part of her PhD at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (France) in collaboration with the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Dr Sheema said: "These are very important findings because they shed more light on the crucial ecosystem services provided by flying foxes. Previously it was known that the smaller, nectar-feeding bats are pollinators for durian -- but many people believed that flying foxes were too large and destructive to play such a role. Our study shows the exact opposite: that these giant fruit bats are actually very effective in pollinating durian trees."
The spikey tropical durian fruit, with its spikey skin and distinctive odour, is highly prized throughout Malaysia and Thailand. A ubiquitous icon of Southeast Asian culture, it is also a lucrative industry, generating millions of US dollars in local and international trade. The new findings suggest these economic profits owe a huge debt to large fruit bats such as flying foxes -- as they were previously believed to be destructive rather than beneficial.
Using camera traps, researchers collected video evidence showing the island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) pollinating durian flowers, leading to the production of healthy durian fruit. Their study -- Pollination by the locally endangered island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) enhances fruit production of the economically important durian (Durio zibethinus) -- has been published in the Journal of Ecology and Evolution.
The video footage was captured on Tioman Island by a team led by Dr Sheema Abdul Aziz as part of her PhD at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (France) in collaboration with the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Dr Sheema said: "These are very important findings because they shed more light on the crucial ecosystem services provided by flying foxes. Previously it was known that the smaller, nectar-feeding bats are pollinators for durian -- but many people believed that flying foxes were too large and destructive to play such a role. Our study shows the exact opposite: that these giant fruit bats are actually very effective in pollinating durian trees."
The spikey tropical durian fruit, with its spikey skin and distinctive odour, is highly prized throughout Malaysia and Thailand. A ubiquitous icon of Southeast Asian culture, it is also a lucrative industry, generating millions of US dollars in local and international trade. The new findings suggest these economic profits owe a huge debt to large fruit bats such as flying foxes -- as they were previously believed to be destructive rather than beneficial.
Dr Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, from the School of Environment and Geographical Sciences of the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus and one of the coauthors of the study, said: "The durian is a fascinating plant that, with its flowers pollinated by bats and its seeds dispersed by large animals like elephants, beautifully exemplifies the importance of plant animal interactions. The durian fruit is particularly famous for its pungent smell and unique taste, adored by most people in Southeast Asia and so often misunderstood -- abhorred? -- by westerners. We hope this study brings attention to the urgency of conserving flying foxes in Southeast Asia."
Flying fox populations in severe decline
The island flying fox is already classified as 'endangered' on Malaysia's National Red List.
Large fruit bats of the genus Pteropus are severely threatened by hunting and deforestation. They are often sold and eaten as exotic meat due to an unsubstantiated belief that consuming them can help cure asthma and other respiratory problems. They are also persecuted and killed as agricultural pests, as some people claim that the bats cause damage and economic loss by feeding on cultivated fruits.
Consequently, these factors have led to a severe decline in flying fox populations worldwide.
Repercussions for tropical ecosystems
This study shows that these bats play important roles as seed dispersers and pollinators in rainforests, especially on islands. Their disappearance could therefore have repercussions for tropical ecosystems.
This international team of researchers from Malaysia, France, India, and Thailand, in collaboration with Tree Climbers Malaysia, has found that Southeast Asia's durian supply could be affected too.
Dr Sheema said: "If people end up hunting flying foxes to extinction, it's not hard to see that there could be serious implications for Southeast Asia's beloved 'King of Fruits'."
(a) Island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus); (b) Close-up of durian flower showing Apis dorsata foraging on anthers; (c) Deployment of camera stations in durian (Durio zibethinus) trees; (d) Durian fruit set.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Nottingham.
Flying fox populations in severe decline
The island flying fox is already classified as 'endangered' on Malaysia's National Red List.
Large fruit bats of the genus Pteropus are severely threatened by hunting and deforestation. They are often sold and eaten as exotic meat due to an unsubstantiated belief that consuming them can help cure asthma and other respiratory problems. They are also persecuted and killed as agricultural pests, as some people claim that the bats cause damage and economic loss by feeding on cultivated fruits.
Consequently, these factors have led to a severe decline in flying fox populations worldwide.
Repercussions for tropical ecosystems
This study shows that these bats play important roles as seed dispersers and pollinators in rainforests, especially on islands. Their disappearance could therefore have repercussions for tropical ecosystems.
This international team of researchers from Malaysia, France, India, and Thailand, in collaboration with Tree Climbers Malaysia, has found that Southeast Asia's durian supply could be affected too.
Dr Sheema said: "If people end up hunting flying foxes to extinction, it's not hard to see that there could be serious implications for Southeast Asia's beloved 'King of Fruits'."
(a) Island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus); (b) Close-up of durian flower showing Apis dorsata foraging on anthers; (c) Deployment of camera stations in durian (Durio zibethinus) trees; (d) Durian fruit set.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Nottingham.
Journal Reference:
Sheema A. Aziz, Gopalasamy R. Clements, Kim R. McConkey, Tuanjit Sritongchuay, Saifful Pathil, Muhammad Nur Hafizi Abu Yazid, Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, Pierre-Michel Forget, Sara Bumrungsri. Pollination by the locally endangered island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) enhances fruit production of the economically important durian (Durio zibethinus). Ecology and Evolution, 2017; DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3213
Sheema A. Aziz, Gopalasamy R. Clements, Kim R. McConkey, Tuanjit Sritongchuay, Saifful Pathil, Muhammad Nur Hafizi Abu Yazid, Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, Pierre-Michel Forget, Sara Bumrungsri. Pollination by the locally endangered island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) enhances fruit production of the economically important durian (Durio zibethinus). Ecology and Evolution, 2017; DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3213
Fruit bats provide valuable pollination services to humans through a unique coevolutionary relationship with chiropterophilous plants. However, chiropterophily in the Old World and the pollination roles of large bats, such as flying foxes (Pteropus spp., Acerodon spp., Desmalopex spp.), are still poorly understood and require further elucidation. Efforts to protect these bats have been hampered by a lack of basic quantitative information on their role as ecosystem service providers. Here, we investigate the role of the locally endangered island flying fox Pteropus hypomelanus in the pollination ecology of durian (Durio zibethinus), an economically important crop in Southeast Asia. On Tioman Island, Peninsular Malaysia, we deployed 19 stations of paired infrared camera and video traps across varying heights at four individual flowering trees in a durian orchard. We detected at least nine species of animal visitors, but only bats had mutualistic interactions with durian flowers. There was a clear vertical stratification in the feeding niches of flying foxes and nectar bats, with flying foxes feeding at greater heights in the trees. Flying foxes had a positive effect on mature fruit set and therefore serve as important pollinators for durian trees. As such, semi-wild durian trees—particularly tall ones—may be dependent on flying foxes for enhancing reproductive success. Our study is the first to quantify the role of flying foxes in durian pollination, demonstrating that these giant fruit bats may have far more important ecological, evolutionary, and economic roles than previously thought. This has important implications and can aid efforts to promote flying fox conservation, especially in Southeast Asian countries.
Durian is known as the king of fruits in Southeast Asia, but it's also banned from many public spaces due to its powerful odor.
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